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Mrs. Essie LeBolt FinnDied at her home, 1421 Second street, last night at 3:10 o'clock. Surviving are her husband, Daniel J Finn; one son, Ward D of Philadephia; one daughter, Mrs. Broshia L Boorman. Another son, Elbert, died in Pontiac, Mich., two years ago. Mrs. Finn attended the Fourth Lutheran church. Friends will be received at the Axe funeral home after 7 o'clock this evening.

Altoona Mirror, 14 Dec 1948

Note: Interesting that Essie's maiden name of Chapin was not used by the writer of the obit, possibly leading people to think she was born a Lebolt instead of being married to and divorced from one. According to Elbert C Shephard's death certificate, he died on 25 Oct 1943, not in 1946.

It's inevitable when you start looking at family history, you encounter varying levels of dysfunction. I don't think there really is a family with no dysfunction at all. The very nature of humanity begs dysfunctional responses and behavior.

From the tragic life of one of my Williams grand-uncles (which ended in suicide and was spun by his survivors as an automobile accident a heart attack) to the decades long wandering of my g-g-grandfather James L Burris (which resulted in two separate families), my family history is replete with surprising twists and turns - many of which have created hurt and confusion that linger to this day.

But it wasn't until I started taking a harder look at Essie Chapin that I was able to witness - for the first time in the decade I've been searching - the rewriting of history as you go.Essie Chapin was my great great grand-aunt. Because of this blog, I "met" three of her direct descendants.

One of them is seriously seeking answers to questions about his roots. I am committed to helping him find those answers, if I can.

The other two believe they already have all the answers, and their primary source of information seems to be a family Bible, plus the oral history that was handed down to them. They do not wish to share any written documentation in their possession. Neither is convinced I even descend from "their" Chapins.

Fair enough.

I just hope they are not equally wedded to a refusal to look at other written documentation that cracks the veneer of what they believe to be true, and lets sunshine in.

Because they might gain new perspective.Essie Chapin had four husbands and two children that I have been able to document. One of the "family secrets" is the issue of the father of her son, Elbert C Shephard, known to his family as "E C."

If Essie's first husband, George Franklin Shephard, was not E C's father, then Essie started lying about it very early on. My understanding is that Frank left the family in 1893, when E C was 2 years old. If Elbert W Carr (whom I am having *great* difficulty locating) was E C Shephard's father, and Essie continued to live with Frank Shephard all that time, well...

In the 1895 Kansas state census, she said she was a native of Kansas - hadn't come from anywhere else. At that time, her daughter Broshia was 4 years old, and E C was 3. Essie's brother Cyrus was also living with them. She said both children were born in Kansas.

In the 1900 census, Essie said the father of both her children was born in Iowa. Frank Shephard was born in Iowa.

So where did the two cousins with the Bible records get the idea that Frank Shephard *was not* E C's father? Their comments on my blog entries seem to indicate it was from the family Bible and E C's sister, Broshia Shephard.

So, that stuff was written down in a Bible? That didn't make it gospel.The more I learn about Broshia Shephard Boorman, the less credibility I am able to put into anything she allegedly said.

Broshia went through at least 12 years of her life saying she was a widow before her husband actually died.

Joseph Aloysius Boorman was born on 23 Jan 1892 in Altoona, Blair County, PA to David C Boorman and Sarah E Monaghan. According to census records, he and Broshia Shephard (who, according to the cousins with the Bible, preferred to be known as Broshia Lebolt - the surname of her mother's third husband) married in 1914.

They had 3 children - Broshia, Adaline and David. In the 1930 census, Broshia Boorman was listed as the married head of her household, and Joseph was not enumerated in that household.

By 1941, the Polk's City Directory for Altoona, PA had a listing for Broshia Boorman, widow of Joseph.

Ditto 1945...

1948/49 City Directory...

I have no idea what happened between Joseph and Broshia Boorman. Maybe they were divorced. Why not just say that?

Saying "He is dead to me," is one thing.

But saying "He. Is. Dead." is a whole 'nother deal.One of the ironic twists in that lie was that even during part of the time Broshia was holding herself out to be a widow, Joseph Boorman lived 98 miles from his children in York, PA.

His World War II draft registration card listed his address as 316 South Duke Street in York.

He signed the card on 27 Apr 1942.According to his obituary in the Altoona Mirror on 24 Jul 1953, Joseph Boorman died on Wednesday, 22 Jul 1953.

He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Altoona.If any of the Chapin kin want to produce some documents, I'm happy to look at them.

His obituary was published in The Daily Hawk-Eye Gazette) (Burlington, IA) on 11 Aug 1934.

Funeral Services For Frank Shephard Held at Church in Mt. UnionSpecial to the Hawk-Eye Gazette

Mt. Union, Ia., Aug. 11.—Funeral services for Frank Shephard were held at the Baptist church Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock. Rev. C. A. Droz of Iowa City officiated, assisted by Rev. W. Williams of New Hampton, Ia., both being former pastors of the church here. They were assisted by Rev. Stevens, pastor of the M. E. church. Interment was made in the Scott Township cemetery near Winfleld.

Those attending the funeral from a distance were Mr. Sherman Shephard, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Witt and daughter, Betty Lou, of Sedalia, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Shephard of Olds, Ia.; Mr. Harry Bolar, Merle, and Geraldine of New London, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Despain, Mrs. Ed Binder and son, all of Burlington; Mrs. H. L. Donovan of Burlington and Mrs. Addie Beauchamp of Winfield.

Note: The Scott Township Cemetery near Winfield is now called the Winfield and Scott Cemetery, and is located near Winfield, in Henry Co., IA.

The first husband of Essie Chapin became very easy to track once I threw enough wildcards into the spelling of his surname.

A delayed birth certificate provided to me by a new-found Chapin cousin said that Frank Shephard was born in Fairfield, Jefferson Co., IA in 1871. As I tracked Frank through both US and Iowa censuses, I found that the year of birth on the certificate was correct, and the county, almost.

Frank was actually born in Henry Co., IA in September 1871 to Lewis W Shephard and Martha E Cox. He had at least two younger siblings and may have had older ones I have not yet found. His father, Lewis, was born in March 1840, also in Henry Co., IA, and his mother, Martha, was born in April 1842 in Ohio.

Frank left tracks. I found him in the 1885 Iowa census, living in New London, Henry County, IA, with his parents and two younger brothers, Lloyd Lewis and Isaac Hugh. (Later records show that Isaac Hugh chose to be called Hugh, which may help to understand why on some documents Frank was alternately shown as G Franklin, G F, F G, and just "Frank.")

I found the record of his marriage to Essie Chapin on 15 Oct 1889 in Fort Scott, Bourbon Co., KS.

The 1889/1890 Hoyes Directory for the City of Fort Scott had a listing for "Shepherd, G Frank," employed at Goodlander Furniture, with a residence address of 1244 E Wall.

The 1895 Iowa census showed Frank Shephard living in Fairfield (Second Ward), Jefferson Co., IA. There were no images on Ancestry for the census page, but both of Frank's parents were also individually enumerated in the same location.

The 1900 U S Census showed Frank living with his parents and brothers Lloyd and Hugh, in Fairfield, Jefferson Co., IA. His marital status was divorced, so he and Essie must have divorced by 1900.

On 17 February 1904, George Franklin Shephard married Viola Mae Hobart in Henry Co., IA.

By 1910, Frank was living in Canaan, Henry Co., IA, with his wife, Viola. The census image showed this was the second marriage for Frank, and first for Viola.

By 1915, the Iowa census found Frank and Viola in Mount Union, Henry Co., IA. In the 1920 U S Census, they were still in Henry County, but the town was shown as Canaan. Since the 1925 Iowa census said Mount Union, Henry County, I saw a pattern emerging - the federal censuses (of 1910 and 1920) called the town Canaan, and the Iowa censuses of 1915 and 1925 called it Mount Union. I think this may be a difference in town and township, but not actual location.

The 1925 Iowa census contained a wealth of information - it listed the names and birthplaces of both sets of parents, including mothers' maiden names.

The 1930 census showed 59 year old Frank and 50 year old Viola Shephard living in Canaan, Henry Co., IA.

Now I just need to find some Henry County cemetery information...I'd be real surprised if they did not live out the remainder of their lives there.

Another synchronicity...Frank's father was a cabinet maker. Various censuses gave Frank's occupation as a house painter. Essie Chapin's father was a carpenter and woodworker.

Wonder if Nathaniel Chapin introduced his daughter to her first husband?

I guess he did a Google search, and hit on my entry about Essie Chapin. She was his great-grandmother. That makes him my third cousin once removed.

He left a comment and his email address. We have been corresponding for about a week.

Turns out mine is not not the only mind Essie messes with...At issue is our very own Chapin version of who's your daddy?

Today, my cousin sent me three pages of Chapin genealogy handwritten by his grandfather that made me realize I had the wrong daddy (and mommy) for Nathaniel Foster Chapin. I corrected the GEDCOM, and now need to figure out just which Joel Chapin we are dealing with in that generation.

That should be a piece of cake when compared to puzzling through all of Essie's relationships.

Because I am not yet convinced she was married to all those men.I've tried to be thorough in researching Essie, following her from cradle to grave. At first glance, it appears that she was married four times.

I tracked her after her marriage in both Kansas State and US censuses. In the 1895 Kansas State Census, as well as the 1900 US census, she was Essie Carr, and said she was a widow.

And my heart went out to her. Oh wow, only 29 years old and twice a widow, with two little kids, Broshia and Elbert Shephard. Then, I found a Chapin message board post that said Elbert was really not a Shephard...that he was Elbert C Carr's son, and after she became pregnant with him, Essie married his father in Oregon.

So I moved little Elbert to the second marriage.

Then, I got the comment from my cousin: The story in my family is that when EC Shephard (my grandfather) was 2 years old, his family...Essie, Broshia and EC, were abandoned by their father Frank Shephard. The only mention of other husbands of Essie was a vague mention that she later married a man named Finn. I am very interested in tracing back the line of Frank Shephard and have little information. I have a photocopy of a REPLACEMENT birth certificate for EC Shephard, born Sept. 5, 1891, issued Feb. 3, 1932 or 1942 (date blurred). It lists his father as Franklin Shephard, 20 years old, undertaker, born in Fairfield, Iowa and residing in Ft. Scott, KS at time of birth. It lists his mother as Essie Chapin, 19 years old, housewife, born in Olean, NY, residing in Ft. Scott KS. I would very much like to know the date and place of death of Joseph (Franklin?) Shephard and the date and place of marriage of Essie and Elbert C. Carr. It seems a real question as to why the baby is given the name of Essie's second husband and surname of the first husband. Who is the biological father? This of course is an important question to me. I would REALLY appreciate any information I could obtain about this.

I looked back at the 1900 census. Essie said the father of both her children was born in Iowa.

I moved little Elbert back to the first marriage.

And wondered who it was who "widowed" her in that census...Elbert and Broshia lived with Essie and her third husband, Joseph Young Lebolt in Altoona, Blair Co., PA in the 1910 census. Even though the "kids" were almost grown, they were using the Lebolt surname. (More about Lebolt later.)

I looked at that census to get the year that Essie and Joseph married.

I don't know who said it - Joseph or Essie...that it was the first marriage for both of them and they had been married 21 years.

Not.By 1920, Essie had married Daniel J Finn. She was enumerated with him in both the 1920 and 1930 censuses.

So I was thunderstruck to find her obit details from the Altoona Mirror archived at the Altoona Library, which listed her as Essie Lebolt Finn.

Because in 1930, Joseph Y Lebolt was living in Los Angeles, CA with his brother and widowed sister...as a single man.I decided to take a different perspective in looking at Essie's life.

I was going to track the husbands.

Hubby #1 ran off. So if the information in the 1900 census about Essie's marital status was correct, then that meant Elbert Carr died.

But shouldn't there be a divorce on record in Bourbon Co., KS for Essie and Joseph Shephard? And why was Essie's son named for husband #2, and carrying husband #1's surname? (I think the preponderance of the evidence indicates that E C Shephard was Joseph Shephard's son...maybe Elbert Carr was just the kind of guy who would pick up another man's slack...)

If Essie was married to Elbert Carr, then he died (or disappeared) before the 1895 Kansas State Census. I can find no record of a marriage for them in either Kansas or Oregon.Likewise, I have no idea where or when Essie married Joseph Lebolt. He was the son of German immigrants, Lazarus Lebolt and Jeanette Rubel, and was born in Chicago, where his father and brothers made silverware and fine jewelry. Even to this day, the Lebolt family is still dealing in fine jewelry in Chicago.

Essie's marriage record to Lebolt could reasonably be in any one of three states - Kansas, Illinois or Pennsylvania. In the 1900 census, 40 year old Joseph was living with his parents, several younger adults siblings and two female servants in Chicago.

In that census, Joseph's father, Lazarus, was an agent for the California Wine Association. Three years earlier, he won his petition for a writ of habeas corpus against the City of Chicago, arguing that it was not in the City's power to regulate the interstate commerce of liquor sales from California to Illinios. See decision In Re Lebolt, 77 F 1d 587, in the West Reporter, Vols 77-78 (West Publ Co.), digitized at Google Books.

Joseph died in Chicago on 16 Jan 1938. At the time, Essie was married to Daniel J Finn - for at least 18 years. So it makes even less sense to me for her obituary to read Essie Lebolt Finn.I think Daniel J Finn was hatched.

All I know about him is that he was born in Pennsylvania in 1877, died in Altoona on 19 May 1953, and had to have married Essie in Altoona sometime before the 1920 census.